


Embers

by AwkwardGayBean



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Betrayal, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25937482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardGayBean/pseuds/AwkwardGayBean
Summary: She felt like she could pass out.  But she fought the flames back down knowing Linh could help.  Her body was getting hotter, the flames were growing larger and becoming harder to repress.  She couldn’t hold them back much longer.
Relationships: Marella Redek/Linh Song
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Embers

She felt like the walls were closing in. How could he do this? She didn’t want to see his face ever again. Did he feel no remorse? Her vision clouded and she gasped for breath through her tears. It felt like the weight of a mastodon was sitting on her chest. The ringing in her ears grew louder. She could feel the start of a spark deep within her. _NO!_ _Not now, not here_. But she couldn’t move. Small flames began to take form in the pit of her stomach, but she couldn’t let them leave her body; she used as much energy as she could to push them down into embers. Her skin grew hot, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and mixed with her tears as they ran down her face. Then, she heard a voice.

“Marella?” the voice said. “What happened?! Are you okay?” She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t breathe. She looked desperately towards the voice. She could barely make out Linh’s delicate features.

Linh knows what’s happening; she knows what to do, Marella assured herself. She felt like she could pass out. But she fought the flames back down knowing Linh could help. Her body was getting hotter, the flames were growing larger and becoming harder to repress. She couldn’t hold them back much longer. She wished her emotions didn’t have so much control over her pyrokinesis. She wished she could cry without sending her home up in an inferno. She felt Linh lift her from the bed and swiftly carry her into the bathroom. Each step Linh took echoed in Marella’s head. The fire fought to get through to the surface of her skin, desperate to taste the sweet oxygen that would give it the power to destroy. The pain was nearly unbearable. Her organs felt like they were melting. But if she gave up now, Linh would get hurt. If she let that happen, she’d never be able to forgive herself. Linh turned on the faucet and made quick work of the sweat-drenched clothes that clung to Marella, stripping her down to her underwear before gently placing her into the bathtub. The water hit Marella’s skin, and the relentless flames were replaced by a shock of stabbing cold, like brain freeze taking over her whole body. She tensed, gritting her teeth, and letting out a strangled cry. The pain faded. Marella relaxed.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” Linh said, soothingly. She felt cool water glide over her forehead as Linh gently rubbed her back. She managed to catch her breath, now breathing deeply, and focusing on Linh’s soft and comforting gestures. She opened her eyes and noticed the concern on Linh’s face.

“What are you doing here, raindrop?” Marella asked, shakily.

“Sophie told me you got upset, but she didn’t tell me why,” Linh said.

“We found out that my Dad...” Marella started, drawing a shaky, hesitant breath. “My Dad is in the Neverseen.” As the last syllable slipped from her lips, Marella’s voice broke. Saying it out loud made it real. The Neverseen’s guster, Trix, was her own father. Tears spilled from her eyes once again.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, and pulled Marella into a hug, not caring about the water that dripped from her girlfriend’s bare skin. “I’m so glad I’m the one who found you. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have known what to do.” That was true. Since Linh and Marella had been training together, Linh knew how to respond when Marella lost control of her ability. Normally, they trained near a lake or another body of water, where it would be easy for Linh to use her hydrokinesis to cool Marella down.

Linh leaned over to turn off the faucet, which Marella hadn’t even realized was still running. Then she kissed Marella gently on the forehead and drew away her tears in a soft, simple motion. Marella watched Linh effortlessly lift orbs of water from the tub and then let them cascade over her shoulders and torso.

“I love you,” Marella said, closing her eyes and letting herself relax. She took her mind off her father’s betrayal and instead focused on the water that Linh washed over her.

“I love you, too,” Linh replied. After a few minutes had passed, Linh helped Marella out of the tub. She was shaking. She didn’t know if it was because she was upset or because she was cold. Perhaps it was both? Linh wrapped her in a towel and they both went back out to her room. She rummaged through Marella’s closet for clean clothes, while Marella huddled in her towel on the bed. Once Linh had found a clean, dry outfit for her girlfriend, she walked over to the bed and curled up in the bed while Marella changed.

“Come live with me,” Linh offered, looking into Marella’s eyes, as she finished pulling on her fuchsia tunic.

“I’d love to, but can’t leave my Mom,” Marella reminded her. Caprise didn’t know what her husband had become, nor did Marella want to break the news to her. “She needs someone to take care of her, and I certainly don’t trust _him_ to do it.”

“I want you to be safe,” Linh argued. Marella finished getting dressed and crawled into her bed with Linh, cuddling into the older girl’s chest and letting Linh’s presence ease the ache in her heart.

“I know, but I can’t leave,” Marella said.

“We’ll figure something out,” Linh assured her.

“I hope so.”


End file.
